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Jllilitary 0rder of the Iloyal liegion of tlje United ptates 



AN ADDRESS 



BEFORE THE 



Arche Club of Chicago Illinois 

FEBRUARY 21 1908 



CAPTAIN ROSWELL H. MASON 

RECORDKR OF THK 
COMMANDERY OF THS STA.TK OF ir.r,INO;S 



1908 



J^ilitary 6rder of the Loyal liegion of the United ^tates 



AN ADDRESS 

BEFORE THE 

Arche Club of Chicago Illinois 

February 21 1908 



BY 



CAPTAIN ROSWELL H. MASON 

n 

RECORDER OF THE 
COMMANDERY OF THE STATE OF ILUNOIS 



1908 






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AN ADDRESS 



BEFORE THE 



Arche Club of Chicago Illinois 

February 21 1908 



"The Military Order of the Loyal Legion had its inception on that saddest 
day, at the conclusion of the War of the Rebellion, when humanity through- 
out the world was shocked by the death of Abraham Lincoln. In honor of 
that illustrious memory and of the great cause for which we had fought ; in 
recognition of the affectionate friendships which had been inspired among the 
officers of the Army then about to disband ; in historic recollection of the 
Society of the Cincinnati, which had embraced the officers of the Revolution- 
ary Army, it was determined to form this Order ; and at a meeting of a few 
officers in the City of Philadelphia the initial steps were that day taken for its 
organization. It was the first of the military societies which followed, or 
rather accompanied the close of the War," (General Charles Deven's 
Twenty -fifth Anniversary Oration, April 15, 1890.) 

On April 15, 1865, a meeting was held in the office of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Thomas Ellwood Zell in Philadelphia, to take action for the officers and ex- 
officers of the Army and Navy to act as a guard of honor to the remains of the 
President. It was determined by those present to call a meeting on April 20 
of those who had served in the War of the Rebellion, when Colonel Zell pre- 
sented a motion, which was adopted, that a society should be formed to 
commemorate the events and principles of the War for the Union, then 
drawing to a close, and that measures should be adopted to promote that 
object. Subsequent meetings of those interested were held and a provisional 
organization was effected at a meeting held May 31 in the room in Independ- 
ence Hall where the first Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States assembled and in which Washington was inaugurated. (" The Organ- 
ization of the Loyal Legion," by Colonel Zell, "United Service Magazine," 
February, 1889.) 

Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Brown Wylie Mitchell, Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Thomas Ellwood Zell, and Captain Peter Dirck Keyser, are designated as 
the founders of the Order, Colonel Mitchell's insignia and diploma being 
Number i. 

The plan of a permanent organization having been perfected, the Com- 
mandery of the State of Pennsylvania was organized November 4, 1865, to date 
from April 15, commemorating the day of the first meeting. Major-General 



AN ADDRESS BEFORE THE ARCHE CI.UB OF CHICAGO II^LINOIS. 



George Cadwalader was elected Commander, and Colonel Mitchell Recorder ; 
both served also as Acting Commander-in-Chief and Acting Recorder-in-Chief 
respectively until their deaths in 1879. 

The Commandery of the State of Pennsylvania continued to be the 
acting Commandery-in-Chief until October 21, 18S5, when the Commaudery- 
in-Chief was organized. Major-Geueral Winfield Scott Hancock having 
become acting Commander-in-Chief in 1879, was elected the first Commander- 
in-Chief, serving until his death in 1886. The successive Commanders-in-Chief 
have been: General Philip Henry Sheridan, 1886; Brevet Major-General 
Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 1889 ; Brigadier-General Lucius Fairchild, 1892 ; 
Major-General John Gibbon, 1895; Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi, 1896; 
Lieutenant-General John McAllister Schofield, 1899 ; Brevet Major-General 
David McMurtrie Gregg, 1903; Major General John Rutter Brooke, 1905; 
Major-General Grenville M. Dodge, 1907. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel John 
Page Nicholson succeeded Colonel Mitchell as acting Recorder-in-Chief in 
1879, and in 1885 became Recorder-in-Chief, serving continuously to the 
present time. To him, more than to any other one man, is due the growth and 
prosperity of the Order. 

Among Commanders of State Commanderies have been : General Ulysses 
S. Grant and Admiral David G. Farragut, New York; General Philip H. 
Sheridan, Illinois; Ex-Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Benjamin Harrison 
and General William T. Sherman, Ohio; Lieutenant-Generalsjohn M. Schofield. 
Nelson A. Miles and Samuel B. M. Young, California. 

All legislative power is vested in the Congress of the Order, composed of 
three representatives from each Commandery, which meets quadrennially. 

The executive and judicial power is vested in the Commandery-in-Chief, 
which consists of the Commanders, ex-Commanders, Vice-Commanders, ex- 
Vice-Commanders, Recorders and ex-Recorders of the various Commanderies. 
It meets annually. 

Six meetings yearly is the average among the Commanderies; the pro- 
ceedings generally include business meeting, collation and reading of a histor- 
ical paper. Many volumes of these contributions to War History have been 
published. A majority of the Commanderies maintain permanent headquarters 
and possess valuable collections of books, pictures and relics pertaining to the 
War period. 

There are twenty State Commanderies and one in the District of Colum- 
bia, and the membership of the Order, October 31, 1907, was 8,941. Of these, 
5,601 served during the war for the preservation of the Union, 3,325 are the 
sous or grandsons of men who had so served, and 15 are men who, in civil life, 
during the war, were specially distinguished for conspicuous and consistent 
loyalty to the National Government, and were active and eminent in maintain- 
ing the supremacy of the same. 

Article II of the Constitution of the Order states : 

" This Order acknowledges as its fundamental principles : 

First. A firm belief and trust in Almighty God, extolling Him under 
whose beneficent guidance the sovereignty and integrity of the Union have 
been maintained, the honor of the Flag vindicated, and the blessings of civil 
liberty secured, established and enlarged. 



AN ADDRESS BEFORE THE ARCHE CI,UB OF CHICAGO ILI^INOIS. 



Second. True allegiance to the United States of America, based upon 
paramount respect for and fidelity to the National Constitution and Laws, 
manifested by discountenancing whatever may tend to weaken loyalty, incite 
to insurrection, treason or rebellion, or impair in any manner the efl&ciency and 
permanency of our free institutions." 

Article III states : 

The objects of this Order shall be to cherish the memories and associations 
of the war waged in defence of the unity and indivisibility of the Republic ; 
strengthen the ties of fraternal fellowship and sympathy formed by compan- 
ionship-in-arms ; advance the best interests of the soldiers and sailors of the 
United States, especially of those associated as Companions of this Order, and 
extend all possible relief to their widows and children ; foster the cultivation 
of military and naval science ; enforce unqualified allegiance to the General 
Government ; protect the rights and liberties of American citizenship, and 
maintain National Honor, Union and Independence. 

The Original Companions— those who served during "the war waged in 
defence of the unity and indivisibility of the Republic" — are rapidly passing 
away, and when they have gone, the clause "strengthen the ties of fraternal 
fellowship and sympathy formed by companionship-in-arms" will become 
obsolete, but aside from this, we believe the objects set forth are those which 
should and will remain a living force, binding together our successors in the 
Order, and that they, deriving their membership from us, will feel it their 
especial privilege and duty by precept and example, to inculcate lessons of 
patriotism and instill in the hearts of all our people a devoted love for our 
country and our flag. 




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